Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 158

“Luce…”

Brianna called his name with a dazed expression. It was a name she had only recently managed to speak aloud again. She never imagined she would say it in front of him.

The one who had broken down the door was not Jonas. The man who should be in Bastogne was here now.

The moment he stepped toward her, Brianna’s hand shook, and the gun quickly lost its aim. As the barrel drooped downward, he caught it and raised it again. The muzzle was now aimed at his heart.

“…I told you something once, didn’t I?”

At the cold, low voice that followed, Brianna flinched.

“I told you what to do if you ever picked up a gun again.”

There was no warmth in his voice. Never before had he spoken to her so coldly.

“You’d have to be prepared to kill. I’m sure that’s what I said.”

Not only was the gun pointed directly at his chest, but his fingers even touched hers, which were resting on the trigger. Brianna gasped and immediately tried to pull her hand away. But he gripped tighter, not letting her.

“So go ahead. Just like I taught you, shoot me with this gun.”

“L-Luce… Let go. It’s dangerous.”

Now it wasn’t just her hand, but her whole body that trembled. If she so much as flinched, she really might shoot him. The fear made it hard to even breathe.

“Please, let go…”

Brianna pleaded with him. She begged him to release her hand because it was dangerous. But Lucius didn’t move. It was as if he didn’t care if he were shot and killed right then.

Only when Brianna’s face went beyond pale and looked like she might collapse at any moment did he finally release his grip. With a thud, the gun dropped to the floor. At the same time, Brianna’s legs gave out and she sank to the floor.

“You’re still reckless and foolish. Just like when we first met, nothing’s changed.”

A voice like a sheet of ice rang low above her head. Brianna looked up at him. Lucius still stared down at her with a cold expression.

“How did you find me…”

Instead of answering her barely formed question, Lucius looked around the house. It was a shabby place, with only a few pieces of furniture. A brief flicker of disdain crossed his eyes before it vanished.

“We’ll talk on the way.”

He slipped his hand under Brianna’s arm and pulled her up in one motion. Seeing her standing barefoot in a thin white nightgown, he scowled deeply. Striding over to the bed, he grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around her. Brianna realized he intended to carry her out just like this.

“Wait. Luce!”

Brianna resisted, trying to pull away from his touch. She couldn’t leave this place like this. She hadn’t struggled to leave the ducal residence just to end up here.

“I can’t go with you. You know that. We’re already divorced…”

“Shut that mouth. Brianna.”

He spat the words like venom. His voice was quiet, but the rage contained in it was immeasurable. Brianna immediately closed her lips. The eyes that were always cold and rational now boiled fiercely.

“Before I lose my mind and do something I’ll regret.”

Something he’d regret?

Brianna stood frozen and thought. She had no idea what he meant by something he would regret.

Could it be… he meant to hit her?

That thought crossed her mind briefly, but Lucius was not the type to strike someone weaker. That was the very behavior he despised the most. No—Lucius had never used violence or tried to dominate anyone, not even women.

“What do you…”

“There’s a very simple way to prove to you that we’re still husband and wife.”

Only then did she grasp what he meant, and Brianna sucked in a small breath. Lucius gazed coldly over her stiffened form. His eyes swept over the skin revealed beneath the disheveled sheet—the thin nightgown clinging to her neck, chest, and smooth calves.

Realizing the desire in that gaze, Brianna hastily pulled the sheet tightly around herself and stepped back. But Lucius stepped forward, closing the distance she had tried to make.

“Why not? It’s something we’ve done countless times before. Is there a reason we suddenly can’t now?”

He smiled. Even that mocking smile was something Brianna had never seen from him before.

“Actually, this might be better. Doing it in a place like this sounds new and exciting. I was getting bored of always keeping things refined for the Duchess and only doing it in the bedroom.”

In just six months, Lucius seemed like a completely different person. The Lucius she knew never mocked others or cornered them like this.

Brianna had sometimes imagined what he might be like if they were to meet again. He would be angry at her reckless escape, but ultimately, she thought he’d calmly say he respected her decision. That was the extent of what she had envisioned.

She had never expected this unfamiliar side of him.

“A flimsy house like this probably isn’t soundproof either, so everyone outside will hear the sounds you make.”

As he steadily closed the distance, her back eventually hit the wall. With nowhere left to run, Brianna’s face turned pale again.

Lucius, staring at her as if she might vanish at any moment, said curtly, “So if you don’t want to show the people outside a shameful sight, follow quietly.”

Just as he grabbed her arm to drag her away, a commotion erupted outside. The loud sound of a struggle rang out several times, and then with a crash, the back door flew open.

“Nana!”

The man who burst in was Levin. Judging by his disheveled appearance, he had jumped out of bed and hurried over, wearing only hastily fastened pants.

Levin saw Lucius pinning Brianna against the wall, gripping her arm, and roared with rage.

“What the hell? Who’s this bastard? Hey, let her go!”

Clenching his fist, Levin charged at Lucius. But the punch he threw cut through empty air as Lucius easily dodged it.

“Ugh!”

Lucius’s fist then struck the left side of Levin’s face hard. With a loud smack, Levin’s head jerked to the side. Staggering from the blow, he turned back—only to feel the cold barrel of a gun press against his forehead.

At the same time, Lucius’s men poured in through the open back door.

“Sir…”

Lucius immediately moved to stand between them and completely shielded Brianna from view.

“Get out. I’ll handle things here.”

At his command, the men nodded and exited, closing the door behind them. Now only the three of them remained in the house.

“…What the hell. This lunatic…”

Levin muttered and swallowed hard.

It was bad enough this man had broken into a woman’s home. But pointing a gun without hesitation—

Most of all, when he looked directly into those pitch-black eyes, Levin realized he had truly run into a madman.

That gaze wasn’t something a human should have. It was the raw, murderous look you’d expect from a beast defending its territory.

Levin no longer worked as a mercenary and lived a peaceful life now, but once, he had roamed countless battlefields and faced his share of maniacs. And based on that experience, he knew: you never messed with a man who had eyes like that.

“What’s your relationship with Brianna?”

As the gun pressed harder into his forehead, Levin quickly answered, “I—I just live next door! That’s all!”

“And yet you show up half-dressed to help her? You expect me to believe that?”

And if I don’t, then what?

He had meant to say he already had a wife and daughter, but in that instant—click. The sound of the safety releasing filled the room. Facing a very real possibility of getting his head blown off, Levin’s mind went blank.

“L-look! Let’s all calm down and talk—”

Just as he tried to deescalate the situation, Brianna stepped between him and Lucius.